1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to digital interpolators and, in particular, to a digital interpolating system and method for utilizing a digital control value to efficiently interpolate a digital output value within a predefined linear range of possible output values. Although not limited to this particular application, the present invention is particularly suited for interpolating the endpoint values of the predefined linear range as the interpolated output value.
2. Related Art
A linear digital interpolator, which is commonly referred to as a "blender," typically receives three digital input values and produces a particular digital output value based on the three digital input values. In this regard, two of the digital input values define the endpoints of a linear range of possible output values. The digital interpolator utilizes the remaining digital input value (the control value) to interpolate within the linear range defined by the other two digital input values in order to transmit a particular output value for each interpolation.
Digital interpolators perform a variety of functions in modem computer systems. For example, computer graphics systems use digital interpolators to perform fading of pixels. In this example, two digital input values represent two different color values. Fading between the two colors can be achieved by manipulating the control value to select different values (and, hence, different colors) within a linear range defined by the two input color values. In this regard, the control value is used to pick a particular color value that is within the linear spectrum.
Although digital interpolators can provide a variety of output values within the two digital input values, most digital interpolators experience difficulty in efficiently providing, as an output, the most significant endpoint value defining the linear range of possible output values. Due to this difficulty, many digital interpolators do not attempt to provide the output value for the most significant endpoint defining the linear range of possible output values. Accordingly, the range of data values that can be possibly output by the digital interpolator is reduced in most prior art systems.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry for providing a digital interpolating system and method of efficiently transmitting, as output, the digital values within a linear range defined by two input values, inclusive.